There is provided a process for reacting a 2-arylethanol with an aromatic compound over an acidic solid oxide catalyst to produce a 1,2-diarylethane.
Diarylalkanes are commercial commodity and fine chemicals. They may be hydrogenated for use as traction fluids, oils for cosmetics (BASF DE507175), or pharmaceuticals. Diarylethanes are used as industrial solvents for applications such as carbonless copypaper.